Elevation Gain

Trails

Points of Interest

Remarks

This trip takes you into a remote area of the Los Padres Forest, nearing the San Rafael Wilderness Area. The trail starts relatively easy along a vehicular recreation road, and forks off to the left pretty soon. It follows a creek for the next couple miles. After you pass the cutoff for nineteen oaks campground on your right the grade starts to steepen.

Looming in front of you and 2000ft up is a ridge peaked by Little Pine Mountain. Make sure you have water, there is apparently a trough somewhere up the slope but we didn’t see any water after leaving the creek behind.

The south-facing slope that you will be climbing can get pretty hot, as it is exposed for most of the way up. The trail is fairly well-maintained. As you round the top of the ridge you will pass through Alexander Saddle with a trail on your right heading up to the nearby Little Pine Mountain Peak. Continue down the other side of the ridge to go to the Little Pine Spring Campground.

The spring is a little difficult to find. After about a mile you will cross a creek. Look for a trail jutting off downhill to your left through the reeds. If you miss it and continue on the trail, you will probably be able to see the picnic tables down by the creek to your left a couple hundred feet down.

The spring feeds into a large metal trough right at the campsite. In January 2011 there was a picnic table which looked like it would collapse any day. The detour by the peak of Little Pine Mountain would be a good addition to this trip.